http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longi ... 6192.story

Rechecking residency
District crackdown on students who don't live in Hampton Bays irks Latinos who claim it singles them out

BY BART JONES
STAFF WRITER

February 15, 2006

A new residency-verification program in Hampton Bays that school officials said aims to crack down on families who don't live in the district but send their children to its schools has sparked protest among some advocates who say it targets Latino immigrants.

The effort to recheck the residency of all children enrolled in the district kicked off last month and may include referrals to Southampton Code Enforcement and the district attorney's office in cases where unsafe housing or use of fake residency documents is suspected, according to schools Superintendent Joanne S. Loewenthal.

School officials said they want to ensure not only that all of the district's 1,800 students live in Hampton Bays but also that they live in safe conditions. Loewenthal, who said it costs about $10,000 a year to educate a child in the district, estimated the problem might involve 20 students and added that the effort is in response to residents who are angry over rising school taxes.

"Taxpayers have a right to know that we are monitoring who we spend our educational dollars on," Loewenthal said. She added that with the district on an austerity budget, "I count every dollar. ... Our classes are huge. I have two schools right now that are bursting at the seams."

However, some Latino advocates said the program imposes requirements many immigrants can't meet because they live in illegal housing within Hampton Bays and may not be able to document residency. They warned it may force their children out of the schools, where the student body is about 30 percent Latino.

"I think this is Farmingville II in Southampton," said Benny Torres, a former member of the Suffolk County Hispanic Advisory Board and a Hampton Bays resident. He was referring to a crackdown on illegal housing in the Brookhaven hamlet that began last summer and prompted the removal of undocumented workers from their rental homes.

Torres and Cesar Perales of the Manhattan-based Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund said housing code enforcement is a job for local government, not the school district. "The motivation may be to scare people from trying to put their kids in schools," Perales said. "I think that is so terrible."

School officials deny that. "We're not targeting any certain groups," said school board president George Leeman. "We're not picking out all the Latino names and saying, 'Let's go verify their residency.' We're requiring everyone to do that."

Under the new policy, the district is sending notices to all families requiring them to prove they live in the district by providing deeds, mortgages, property tax bills, lease agreements, utility bills or notarized registration affidavit. Those who fail to cooperate will be called in for a meeting and then a hearing. The district also may send out an investigator to confirm the residency claims.

If families still fail to cooperate, they will be told their children can no longer attend the schools, or will have the option to pay about $10,000 a year in tuition, Loewenthal said.

She called that a reasonable requirement, adding that the district would work with residents who lack documentation by, for instance, speaking with landlords.

However, she said, people found to be using fake documents will be referred to the district attorney's office for possible prosecution on fraud charges. She added that the program does not involve asking people their immigration status. If school officials come across possible housing violations, they said they will contact Southampton Code Enforcement.

"What happens during our investigation if we find an unsafe situation for a child?" Leeman said. "Do we turn our backs on it and pray nothing happens?" '